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Boating and Engine Experts Call on Lawmakers to Boost Biofuel Blends

Certified mechanics, engine performance experts, and professional fishermen are briefing lawmakers on Capitol Hill today about the importance of ethanol in protecting the environment, preserving America’s energy security, and providing a high-octane boost to marine engines. The briefing, hosted by Fuels America, provides an important opportunity for experts to dispel myths about ethanol and discuss key benefits of the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS).

“We work on a wide variety of racing engines for watercraft, and they run at their absolute best on a high-octane ethanol blend,” says Keith Holmes, President and Owner of CK Motorsports in Nunica, Michigan and a Certified Mercury Marine Racing Technician. “Ethanol burns cleaner and cooler. Since the introduction of E10, we find that many engine parts have a 25 to 50 percent longer lifespan. The National Boat Racing Association exclusively uses E10 for all their races.”

“One hundred percent of the winners on our tournament trail use an ethanol blend in their tanks,” adds Brian Sowers, Co-Host of Crappie Masters TV, covering the Crappie Masters All American Tournament Trail based in Clinton, Missouri. “I want to take my grandkids fishing someday. That means having clean water and clean air. Mixing ethanol into our fuel is the best way to reduce the pollutants that fossil fuels leave behind, so our lakes and rivers stay clean and marine life can flourish.”

“It doesn’t matter whether a boat has a two-stroke or four-stroke engine, an in-board or out-board motor, or a built-in or portable fuel tank,” says Marc Rauch, Executive Vice President and Co-Publisher at The Auto Channel, based in Louisville, Kentucky. “Decades of experience with modern engines shows that E10 is the best fuel for marine applications. As an oxygen booster, ethanol replaces toxins like MTBE, which are notorious for contaminating water supplies. And it reduces CO2 emissions by 34 to 100 percent or more compared to gasoline.”

Rauch recently returned from Taiwan, where he was part of the American presentation team sent to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum on behalf of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. ethanol industry.

“We serve communities on the Minnesota River and Prior Lake, and our customers expect to have choices at the pump," says Joel Hennen, President and Owner Hennen’s Auto Service in Shakopee, Minnesota. “Companies like Kawasaki, Mercury Marine, OMC, Pleasurecraft, Tigershark, Tracker, Honda, and Yamaha all approve the use of E10 in their engines. The labels are clear, and whether customers have a flex fuel vehicle or a race boat, we make it easy to pick the most affordable option with the lowest emissions.”

Today’s briefing is being held as the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) works to complete its review of the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed blending requirements for ethanol and advanced biofuels in 2017.